Locals blame Africans, call arrests wrong

NEW DELHI: The arrest of five people, residents of villages adjoining Mehrauli, in connection with the alleged attacks on Africans, mostly Nigerian nationals, reported from the capital on Friday, seemed to have irked the locals.

Maintaining that it was the Africans who started the argument that eventually led to a scuffle, the locals stated that the arrests were erroneous.

On the other hand, the Africans living in the area are now extra cautious. Speaking to HT, a Nigerian student said, “We have been asked to be extra vigilant now. We do not wish to pick up a fight, we have come here to study but sometimes we do not understand what the locals say and they mistake it to be rudeness... We just hope that the situation normalises.”

A local, however, maintained that these students misbehave on several occasions that they ignore. “We have always lived in harmony with them (Africans) in the area then why would we enter into a fight without any reason? They return from parties late at night, roam around in the area, play loud music, but we have never picked up an argument with them.”

Meanwhile, the police have sent three teams to arrest the two men, evading arrest.